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Microbubble issue....

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Hi everybody - I have a 125 gallon tank that I've had set up for over a week now, and a few days ago I noticed the tank looked cloudy. I stepped back a few feet and the tank looked crystal clear. When I moved close again it began to lkook cloudy. When I got up real close, I could see that it's millions of tiny bubbles (I think they're bubbles, anyway) circulating through the tank making it look cloudy.

I have two filters on the tank, a Fluval FX5 and an Aquatop CF-500. I have a couple of air bubblers, but neither of them are anywhere near the intakes for either filter. Just to rule it out, I turned off the air pump for a few hours, but nothing changed. I could see that the concentration of bubbles was higher at one end of the tank than the other (the side with the FX5). If I get up close I can see the bubbles coming out of the output from the FX5.

My question is this: Is there any way to tell how air is getting into the filter (or if that's what the problem is)? The connectors for the intake and outputs are well below the water line. I've taken the hoses off of the canister and taken the lid off and put it all back together....still the same. I did the same with the Aquatop just to cover all of my bases, so now I'm pretty much out of answers. anybody have any similar issues? Any ideas for a fix?

It's not a problem right now, as the tank is cycling and I don't have any fish in it yet, but I'd like to address it now while I have time to deal with it. Thanks in advance for any help/ideas!

You've got a huge amount of filtration on that tank. I can imagine that it will generate a lot of flow. If the spraybars are over the water then that explains the issue. Have you noticed any difference if you switch off either filter? Is either making any noise? Did you try rubbing vaseline on the rubber seals?

Are you sure you got all the air out of the cannister of the FX? I have a fluval 305 and if I don't prime the cannister completely, I get tons of tiny bubbles coming out. I need to make sure to do a complete priming job before I turn on the filter.

If you have air pockets in your cannisters you can normally tell by giving them a sharp tip (of an inch or so) to one side and then letting them right. The little jolt normally releases the air and a large stream of bubbles will exit the filter. If I ever open up my huge cannister filter (only every few months these days) I always need to do this after priming and restarting it. It'll be noisy for about half an hour with bubbles escaping, but then it'll run silently (albeit with a slight hum from the motor).

also since its been set up for a week, if its brand new set up it might take time for the biofilm to form on the inside of the filters. The small bubbles formed while filling up the tank tend to hang on for a time in a brand new set up and get blown out once in a while after it accumulates.

Thanks for the replies, all. Well, I went over every possible thing I could think of....and I ended up calling Hagen. Apparently, this is a common, or at least semi-common issue with the FX5. After a few Emails and phone calls, and sending them pics of my setup, they are going to send me a new lid that's manufcatured somewhat differently to fix the microbubble problems that the FX% seems to have from time to time. Hopefully it'll work, and I can get back to working on my journal. Props to Hagen for taking the time to help...I'm wishing I'd called them in the first place, but I thought it was user error. Thanks!